Archive for January 10th, 2017

It is clear that Sessions is unfit to to serve as chief enforcer of civil rights laws.

Earlier this week, civil rights activists were arrested after a day-long occupation of the Mobile, Alabama office of U.S. Attorney General nominee Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. The sit-in was organized to protest Sessions’ hostile attitude toward civil rights and the Voting Rights Act.

Also this week, a group of more than 1,100 distinguished professors of law sent a letter to Congress urging the rejection of his nomination. “Nothing in Senator Sessions’ public life since 1986 has convinced us that he is a different man than the 39-year-old attorney who was deemed too racially insensitive to be a federal district court judge.”

Never in recent memory has a nominee for U.S. Attorney General faced such united and widespread opposition. President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Sessions sets the stage for an unprecedented rollback of racial justice, immigration policy, LGBTQ rights and gender equality, among other hard-fought for gains in the American struggle towards equality for all its citizens.

It is clear that Sessions is unfit to to serve as chief enforcer of civil rights laws. We join the rest of the civil rights and legal community and all defenders of equal rights in asking the Senate to reject Sessions’ nomination.

The event will be held Sunday, January 15, 2017 from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. at Dearborn & Adams, Chicago. Feminist activists will gather at 219 South Dearborn, on the doorstep of the federal courts in Chicago, demonstrating their commitment to defend reproductive justice – including access to birth control, abortion and other reproductive health care, funding for Planned Parenthood, as well as the right and access to the means to raise children by choice.

This year’s event aims to protest the incoming Trump/Pence administration’s anti-woman and anti-choice agenda. Trump has vowed to appoint a pro-life Supreme Court Justice and favors punishing women and abortion providers should abortion become illegal. At the same time, Congress is swiftly moving to defund Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides critical healthcare to those in need.

According to organizers, “As we march on Sunday, the anti-choice March for Life demonstrators will gather in Federal Plaza claiming to stand for “life” when they in fact oppose urgently needed health care, education, contraception, and liberties for women, LGBT people and parents of all genders. The mission of the anti-choice movement is not to save lives, but to terrorize, control, threaten and punish women who seek to control their bodies and fate.”

The March for Abortion Rights is a counter-protest to stand up to this anti-choice agenda, and to demonstrate that we won’t be silent when our rights and freedoms are under attack.

Legislation Requires Lead Testing in Schools and Day Cares Throughout Illinois

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan applauded the Illinois House’s approval of legislation to protect children from drinking water contaminated by lead. The legislation was initiated by Madigan and the Illinois Environmental Council last spring in response to alarming levels of lead found in water in many Chicago and suburban school districts. Lead exposure can have serious lifelong developmental impacts on children.

“Lead exposure can lead to serious and lifelong developmental problems for young children and infants,” Madigan said. “Many school districts in Illinois are already testing for lead in drinking water and have discovered alarmingly high rates of lead contamination. Testing drinking water in all Illinois schools and daycares is an inexpensive way to immediately identify and stop lead exposure in young children that would otherwise cost families, schools and government much more.”

“This bill is an important first step that will identify lead contaminated infrastructure in Illinois, especially in schools and day cares. Our end goal is removal of lead from our drinking water system to ensure safe water for all Illinoisans,” said Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, which can lead to irreversible brain damage and lifelong intellectual, emotional and behavioral consequences. The Illinois Department of Public Health has found that Illinois has rates of lead exposure significantly higher than the national average.

Despite Illinois’ lead poisoning rates and the high risks posed by drinking water contaminated with lead, state law does not require lead testing of drinking water in schools and day care centers.

In the last year, some Illinois schools that have voluntarily tested drinking water for lead had alarming results. According to media reports, Chicago Public Schools tested approximately 12,000 water fountains and kitchen sinks in over 500 schools and found elevated levels of lead in about 3 percent of the fixtures tested. Test results from other school districts, including Glenview and St. Charles, also revealed some drinking water sources with elevated lead levels.

The bill would require that all schools built before 2000 with pre-kindergarten through fifth grade classes test all water sources used for drinking or food preparation for lead. The measure also requires certain day care facilities to test water sources for lead.

The legislation also requires an inventory be taken of all lead service lines in the state that pose the risk of increased lead exposure in drinking water. Additionally, the bill would increase public notification of nearby water main construction projects that could impact water lines and increase the presence of lead in water.

The lead tests, which cost an average of $15 per drinking water sample, would provide schools and day care centers with the information needed to quickly take simple steps to protect children from dangerous lead exposure. For example, water fountains with elevated lead levels can be turned off or flushed to address the problem. In addition to allowing schools and day cares to protect children immediately, the test results would guide schools and day cares in formulating a plan to prevent high lead levels from reoccurring.

“The changes we have made to the bill reflect a bipartisan commitment to protecting our children from lead in the water they drink at school,” said state Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago). “As the parent of a child who attends a Chicago school that tested positive for lead-contaminated water, this is an extremely personal issue, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to send this measure to the governor.”

“Parents have the right to know whether the water in their children’s schools is contaminated by lead, and this legislation is a step toward giving parents that information so they can ensure that their children are protected,” said state Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago). “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to send this legislation to the governor’s desk.”

CHICAGO, IL – The Women’s March on Chicago has obtained a Rally permit and the Jan. 21 event is taking final shape with confirmation of Rally speakers and the March route.

The event starts with music at 9 a.m., the Rally at 10 a.m., immediately followed by the March through downtown Chicago.

The March will begin at Petrillo Bandshell and head west on Jackson, then north on Michigan, west on Adams, north on Dearborn, west on Randolph, south on Clark, and east on Jackson back to Grant Park. There will be a stopping point at Federal Plaza for those who do not wish to walk the entire March route.

“We’re planning and hoping for the largest women’s Rally and March outside of Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 21, 2017,” said Ann Scholhamer, one of the March Co-Chairs. “We have been hard at work with our dedicated volunteers to confirm an incredible slate of speakers, representing issues brought to light during the campaign and diverse issues of concern to Chicago women.”

The excitement on the March’s social media platforms and through the March’s partnerships “reflects a Chicago coalition against policies and ideologies born of oppression of women, intolerance, and inequality,” organizers of the march stated. This movement has gone global, with more than 200 sister protests and marches planned worldwide. Support from Chicago and surrounding areas is building. Organizers are encouraging women and allies to put ‘feet in the street’ as a visual demonstration of the power of this event too large to ignore.

Go to the webpage for information about supporting organizations: womens121marchonchicago.org. For access and other information, check out the FAQ section of the March website www.womens121marchonchicago.org or go to the Facebook page: womensmarchonchicago. Join this movement and tell us why you are marching at #womensmarchchi and #whyImarch.

New fact-based, thought provoking book reveals how the legacy of slavery has affected Black students in the 21st Century

San Bernardino, CA(BlackNews.com) – According to Dr. Patricia McQueen, an educator and author from Southern California, there is a continuing and alarming gap between the academic achievement of white students and Black students. She comments, “The institution of slavery promoted racism, and left a stigma that Blacks have had to endure unto this day. It is that stigma, that negative social identity that is the premise for understanding how slavery has impacted the academic achievement of Black students.

Dr. McQueen’s new book entitled, Black Lives Have Always Mattered: The Impact of Slavery on the African American Student, brings light to the fact that slavery affected the cultural, economic, political, and social/psychological lives of Black people, thereby inhibiting the academic achievements of Black students.

She comments, “By revealing the truth about how racism really started, we will discover that we have all been victims of its ugly effects. Blacks and whites had to be taught the meaning of ‘blackness’ and ‘whiteness’ in such a way as to create the division, and this division was preserved by force and violence, and sanctioned by laws.”

“African American students have been cheated out of a quality education. America must redeem the time when they should have been getting a quality education,” she adds.BOOK DETAILS:

Black Lives Have Always Mattered: The Impact of Slavery on the African American Student
by Dr. Patricia McQueen
Paperback: 108 pages
ISBN-10: 1532328869
ISBN-13: 978-1532328862
Available at Amazon.com

To pre-empt an anticipated media whitewash and re-write of Obama’s historical impact, one author crowdfunds a people’s “we-write” of the 44th U.S. president’s achievements.

New York, NY(BlackNews.com) – Like many people who’ve engaged in conversation about the legacy of this nation’s first African-American president, Walt Goodridge has concerns that the US media won’t be fair or balanced when reporting or documenting the long-term historical significance and societal impact of Barack Obama’s eight years in office. Goodridge, however, took those concerns a bit further and did something about them by successfully crowdfunding and publishing a photo documentary entitled The Obama Legacy: A We-Write of the Greatest American Presidency.

“After eight years, much of what we feel or think we know about Obama’s presidency isn’t the result of an objective assessment of his accomplishments,” explains Goodridge, founder of the Obama Legacy We-Write Book Project. “It’s the result of media coverage that jumps from one new news story to the next, in a society that, historically, has fallen short when recognizing the humanity of men and women of color and expressing praise for their achievements. Internationally, Obama is respected as a great statesman – with poise, eloquence and intelligence unmatched in modern American politics. Domestically, however, his many successes have been overlooked or under-reported. Going forward, we can’t allow pundits, politicians or Hollywood producers to determine how we and our children remember President Obama. We need to take pre-emptive action to guide and direct the conversation around his legacy. That’s what this book is about.”

For those who claim disappointment with the Obama presidency, Goodridge makes the case that while previous presidents all had the power to do so–and despite obstructionism that began the night of his first election–Obama passed the first nationwide health care reform in U.S. history, made equal pay for women the law of the land, appointed multiple female Supreme Court justices, advocated for gay marriage and acceptance of gays in the military, and thawed U.S. relations with Japan and Cuba after decades of political distance. He oversaw the demise of Osama bin Laden, troop withdrawal in Iraq, voted against the Keystone pipeline and compassionately commuted or pardoned harsh sentences for 1,324 individuals — more than the 11 previous presidents combined.

Goodridge cites these and other Obama achievements as ‘real progress’ – legislation and actions that seek to remedy the effects of America’s foundation of white supremacy, its history of genocide, institutionalized racism, sexism, religious extremism, exploitative and environmentally destructive capitalism – which, despite the administration’s negatives (i.e. civilian drone strikes, increased deportations and corporate wrist slaps), stands as a hallmark of great leadership.

To heighten the book’s appeal to younger students of history, Goodridge includes easy-to-remember “legacy rhymes” throughout. Accompanying the caption of the iconic photo of Obama’s first official act, for instance, he writes: ‘The first act that Obama signed / Was January 29, 2009 / And now in Lilly’s name we say / With equal work comes equal pay.’ “Imagine your classroom of students reciting not only when ‘Columbus sailed the ocean blue,’ but also when the nation’s first black president signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!” he opines.

According to Goodridge, “Of course, he wasn’t perfect — no president is — but we’ve witnessed a great one whose legacy will ultimately be recognized as unparalleled. But don’t expect to tune in to the six o’clock news to hear words with that appraisal anytime soon. We the people have to speak those words ourselves and to our children, out loud, starting now. The proof is in the public record, and in this book. Don’t wait for the media re-write, make this a history WE-write!”

The Obama Legacy: A We-Write of the Greatest American Presidency is a full color, 150-page, 365-“Official White House Photo”-filled, year-by-year record of Obama’s bill signings, town halls, television/online appearances, news conferences, State of the Union addresses, presidential firsts, nominations, “baby whispering” encounters, international trips, rock star welcome abroad with behind-the-shot commentary starting with the global “Obamania” phenomenon of 2007.

Download a preview at www.obamalegacybook.com, where you can order the paperback or hardcover AND receive the bonus 70-page Obama Legacy Timeline supplement FREE. (Available separately on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com) Contact: (646) 481-4238 or walt@obamalegacybook.com

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch delivered the following statement on the recent deaths of the two officers in Florida at the beginning of today’s event commemorating National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month:

“Good afternoon, everyone. Before we begin, I want to take a moment to address the shooting of a police officer this morning in Orlando. Master Sergeant Debra Clayton, a 17-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department, was shot and killed this morning by an individual evading arrest on murder charges. During the subsequent search for the shooter, a deputy sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, whose name has not been released, was killed in an auto accident as part of the pursuit. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida is in regular contact with our local counterparts. The FBI, ATF and U.S. Marshals Service are all actively assisting with the search for the perpetrator. We will continue to offer any and all assistance to our state and local partners as they continue to investigate this devastating incident.

“These tragic deaths make clear the great risks that our brave men and women in uniform face each and every day, and the deep and abiding gratitude that our nation owes them for their service. As they are responding to events in their community, they are often the first on the scene of dangerous events – as we saw when they responded to the shootings at the Fort Lauderdale Airport last Friday, when five innocent people lost their lives to a gunman. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Wilfredo Ferrer, is here with me today, and his office filed federal charges in that matter on Saturday.

“My thoughts and prayers – and those of my colleagues at the Department of Justice – are with the families and loved ones of those lost and wounded in these tragic events.”

Statistics released in the FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report revealed overall increases in the number of violent crimes reported and overall declines in the number of property crimes reported for the first six months of 2016 when compared with figures for the first six months of 2015. The report is based on information from 13,366 law enforcement agencies that submitted three to six months of comparable data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program for the first six months of 2015 and 2016.

Violent Crime

All of the offenses in the violent crime category—murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape (revised definition), rape (legacy definition), aggravated assault, and robbery—showed increases when data from the first six months of 2016 were compared with data from the first six months of 2015. The number of aggravated assaults increased 6.5 percent, murders increased 5.2 percent, rapes (legacy definition) increased 4.4 percent, rapes (revised definition) rose 3.5 percent, and robbery offenses were up 3.2 percent.

Violent crime increased in all city groupings. Among cities, violent crime rose the most over the previous year (9.7 percent) in those with populations of 1,000,000 and over. In cities with populations from 500,000 to 999,999, violent crime increased 5.2 percent, and in cities with 250,000 to 499,999 inhabitants, violent crime was up 4.3 percent.

Among the city population groups, there were both increases and decreases in the overall number of property crimes. Law enforcement agencies in cities with 1,000,000 and over populations reported the largest increase, 2.1 percent. Law enforcement agencies in cities with populations under 10,000 inhabitants reported the largest decrease, 3.5 percent.

The West was the only region to show an increase (0.8 percent) in property crime. Reports of these offenses declined 2.4 percent in the Northeast, 1.3 percent in the Midwest, and 0.9 percent in the South.

Arson

In the UCR Program, arson offenses are collected separately from other property crimes. The number of arson offenses decreased 1.1 percent in the first six months of 2016 when compared with figures for the first six months of 2015. Two of the nation’s four regions reported decreases in the number of arsons. Arsons were down 5.1 percent in the West and 1.3 percent in the Midwest. However, arson offenses rose 5.0 percent in the Northeast and 1.2 percent in the South.

Arson offenses were down 6.6 percent in cities with populations 10,000 to 24,999, the largest decrease within the city groupings. The city grouping to experience the greatest increase was in those cities with populations 1,000,000 and over, where arson offenses rose 5.3 percent. Arsons decreased 3.1 percent in nonmetropolitan counties and 0.3 percent in metropolitan counties.

Revised Definition of Rape

In 2013, the FBI’s UCR Program initiated the collection of rape data under a revised definition within the Summary Based Reporting System. The term “forcible” was removed from the offense name, and the definition was changed to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

The number of rape incidents reported using the revised definition, as well as the number of rapes submitted using the legacy definition, are both included in this report in separate columns in each table. The rape figures for those agencies that changed from reporting rape under the legacy definition in 2015 to the revised definition in 2016 are not included in the trend calculations for Tables 1-3, but they are included in Table 4. Please note: Rape data reported for 2015 and 2016 cannot be aggregated by all agencies. Instead, two distinct groups of agencies (those reporting using the legacy definition and those reporting using the revised definition) are used for calculating trends. Therefore, the percent changes from one year to the next within each group are calculated with fewer agencies than in recent years. Users should be aware that offenses with fewer incidents are often sensitive to marginal increases/decreases when calculating trends. More information about this subject is presented in footnotes and data declarations for each table.

Caution against ranking: When the FBI publishes crime data via its UCR Program, some entities use the information to compile rankings of cities and counties. Such rankings, however, do not provide insight into the numerous variables that shape crime in a given town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region. These rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that can create misleading perceptions that adversely affect communities and their residents. Only through careful study and analyses into the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction can data users create valid assessments of crime. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population or student enrollment.

An exploration of distraction and downfall in redefining a modern American dream

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) continues its 16th Season of Disconnect | Redirect, on March 10th, with the premiere and debut of a new full-length work by Artistic Director, Sara Maslanka. The 16th Season centers on the themes identity, society and technology through the exploration consumerism and time.

About Consumed:

Entangled in the addictive culture of media and technology, how do the people of tomorrow make the choice to begin consuming culture objectively. By disconnecting and reconnecting with one another, can we rise up, redefining our modern American Dream? Devised and created through movement, multimedia and satire, Consumed follows personal stories of distraction and downfall of Americans just like you. The performance will open with Spoken Word poets responding to the photo gallery by local artist that will be displayed at the theatre.

“We need to be responsive in a comprehensive way to the violence occurring in some of our most under-served communities,” Raoul said. “Victims of chronic trauma are more likely to become victims again or offenders than to recover, and we need to put an end to the cycle.”

Senate Bill 2872 creates a pilot program for trauma recovery centers, expands access to earned sentence credit and gives judges discretion when imposing probation for individuals convicted of certain drug offenses as well as those with prior offenses.

“Over incarceration fills our prisons, but it does not prepare offenders to reenter society,” Raoul said. “Our goal should be to place individuals in programs that lead to their success and keep them out of jail.”

The measure was approved in the Senate today, and now heads to the governor for consideration.

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Welcome to CopyLine Magazine! The first issue of CopyLine Magazine was published in November, 1990, by Editor & Publisher Juanita Bratcher. CopyLine’s main focus is on the political arena – to inform our readers and analyze many of the pressing issues of the day - controversial or otherwise. Our objectives are clear – to keep you abreast of political happenings and maneuvering in the political arena, by reporting and providing provocative commentaries on various issues. For more about CopyLine Magazine, CopyLine Blog, and CopyLine Television/Video, please visit juanitabratcher.com, copylinemagazine.com, and oneononetelevision.com. Bratcher has been a News/Reporter, Author, Publisher, and Journalist for 33 years. She is the author of six books, including “Harold: The Making of a Big City Mayor” (Harold Washington), Chicago’s first African-American mayor; and “Beyond the Boardroom: Empowering a New Generation of Leaders,” about John Herman Stroger, Jr., the first African-American elected President of the Cook County Board. Bratcher is also a Poet/Songwriter, with 17 records – produced by HillTop Records of Hollywood, California. Juanita Bratcher Publisher